Of Tears and Sacredness
by Awerewolf
Summary: Po has been living in the Jade Palace for a while when strange things begin to happen. Tigress is loosing her sleep and the Dragon Warrior is not the same anymore… but why? Po/Tigress friendship, not romance. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I don't own Kung Fu Panda, nor do I intend to make any money with this._

_Megathanks to my beta and friend and guide PointyEdgesofaSign – without her I would not be publishing this or anything else. She works my Muse! And she gave me one of my favorite presents. And she rocks! _

_This is a short story, rated T for disturbing images. I've punished myself already because I said I would probably not write anymore and I did – I thought I would take some time to read more of other people's stuff and relax, but this tale came to me. It's already finished and I intend to post a chapter per day, as my previous story. Also, note that this may or may not be a sequel to 'The Golden Mountain' – as I don't know if I'll be writing more in the future, there's no specific link tying the two stories. Again, reviews and comments will be appreciated. _

_Enough talk! To the story!_

**Of Tears and Sacredness**

**Part I**

It was unusual for Master Tigress to loose her sleep. She gracefully accepted that there was a lot about her body she couldn't control, because she knew a true warrior should be humble about this fact. But she also knew that she could control a whole lot of other things, and she always strived to do that the best she could. That meant not only training Kung Fu; it meant breathing properly, eating not a crumb more than necessary, meditations to know herself and her own mind, and many other things. That included sleep, a very important necessity because a true warrior also needs to rest, otherwise 'he'll kill himself or be easily defeated in battle', Master Oogway used to say. So she always got in her bed knowing that she would be rested and dressed to say 'Good morning, Master' to Shifu while the morning gong was still echoing in the brisk dawn air.

But lately getting to bed was an adventure for Tigress every night because she didn't knew if she was going to hear the scream again.

It began a week ago. She was sleeping and woke up to some hideous shriek, like someone was screaming right beside her. She tried to attack whatever it was, confused as she was by the rude awakening, but there was nobody in her room. Then she heard the scream again and it came from somewhere outside, but she couldn't tell exactly where because it was terribly loud, like a hundred voices were coming out of just one mouth. She got out of her room and then saw the most bizarre thing about the night.

Nobody was doing anything. When she got to the hallway the screaming stopped and she realized everybody else was asleep. But how could they be with that much noise? Her ears were still ringing with the power of the cry, but she could easily hear that the rest of the Five and Po were sleeping, breathing gently, each in their rooms.

Then the scream came back and it lasted for about five seconds. It was so loud this time that Tigress put her paws in her ears and dropped on her knees before realizing what she was doing.

And when the screaming ceased, she could tell everybody else was still sleeping. She heard a loud snore coming from Po's room and the sound of the panda rolling on his bed.

She waited a bit more before going out to take a look at the Jade Palace's surroundings, worried that something was going on. But everything was fine. It was deep night and everybody was resting except her. She got back to her room, instinctively waiting for the scream again, like a cat waiting for a rat to come out of its hole, hoping that it might give her a clue, lead her somewhere. Then she forsook sleep that night, but the scream didn't return. She sat straight on her bed until the morning gong rang.

In the morning nobody spoke of anything out of the ordinary so she decided to take the matter into her own hands and told the others nothing about. She just waited for the night to come. She didn't want to fall asleep in that night but eventually she did, because there was no scream to be heard and she was still tired from the night before.

The screams did not return that night, though she woke up in that morning with the impression that she dreamed about people screaming, but she couldn't remember anything more than that. Next night everything went on as normal and Tigress started to gather explanations to herself: that she dreamed or imagined the whole thing.

But in the fourth night the scream came again. Twice. The second time she could swear it was Po's voice, but when she rushed to the room in front of hers, she realized that the Dragon Warrior was sleeping. And everybody else was too, herself excluded.

The next night she heard it again once, though it was faint, like it was being muffled somehow, and she quickly went back to sleep. But on the sixth night the screaming made her angry when it started and afraid when it ended, some twenty minutes later. The crying voice was present; loud as it could be and she searched in all corners of the Palace, but found out she couldn't even guess where it was coming from. She didn't like not one bit the realization that she was truly scared.

She rested a bit before morning, but didn't sleep again. On the seventh night she took counsel with herself before going to bed and decided she would discuss the situation with Master Shifu and the others next morning. She was tired but rested her body without sleeping on her bed, as much as she could with all the questions she had in her mind. What was happening? Who was screaming? And what if there was no scream? What if she was going insane?

She heard a noise outside and her ears moved, but it was no scream, far from it. It was only Po's door opening and closing – another midnight snack, most likely. But when she was ready to dismiss the image of Po eating from her head she heard something else: Po was crying. He was clearly trying to do it as quietly as he could, but wasn't doing a very good job of muffling it. She heard him going to the kitchen and got up to follow him after several seconds of hesitation.

One more dream like that and his mind would crack, he knew it. It was, what, the seventh, eighth nightmare in a row? Po tried his best to stop his sobbing as he stood from his bed to shuffle to the kitchen. It was past midnight but he knew the path so well he didn't need any light. Reaching the kitchen he lit a small lamp to help him go through the cupboards.

Po stopped. His original plan was to eat away his sorrows as he had always done when he was upset – but what good would that do? The dreams quickly came to his mind again. Dreams of violence and blood, full of cries of pain and familiar faces on the floor, their eyes unmoving…

"Master? Is everything all right?" A soft whisper came from behind him. Recognizing the voice, he found it was Tigress. Po froze when he realized he was still crying and didn't want to turn to face her.

"I'm fine, Tigress," Po stuttered. "Please go back to bed."

"I thought I heard you…" Tigress insisted but Po interrupted her.

"I have to leave the Palace for a while, Tigress." He was holding back his tears, and his voice was weak with fatigue.

"What?" questioned Tigress, taken back by his request. "Master, what's wrong? I don't understand…"

"Just go back to bed, Tigress. In the morning tell everybody I'll be back in a few days, okay? There's something I have to do alone." Po stood still, his back turned to Tigress, so he didn't notice that for a moment she held her hand in the air, wanting nothing more than to reach out and caress the panda's shoulder, to console him somehow, even though she was frightened. She had never seen Po so distressed, but she decided against it and turned around to leave the kitchen.

"Good night, Master," she recited, exiting through the doorway. Always 'Master', without any trace of irony or scorn, ever since he defeated Tai Lung. Po was even starting to get used to it.

He waited till he was sure Tigress was far enough from the kitchen before he began packing._ Travel supplies, _he thought_. I can't wait any longer. I must go._

And he did. Less than one hour later he was climbing down the Jade Palace's stairs, sack on his shoulders and tears still streaming down his face, plastering his fur to his skin. Before leaving the Palace, in a fit of childish fear, Po had contemplated his face in a mirror to see if his eyes were still green after so much crying. The color was still there, but the sparkle, his sparkle, was gone. He felt that even his soul had deserted him.

But he wasn't as alone as he initially thought. As he left the Palace, a swift shadow accompanied him - another master of kung fu - one who couldn't decide if she was disobeying a superior because she thought it was the right thing to do or because she was curious as to what was happening. Tigress settled in her mind for a little of both, and also, somehow, felt that Po's strange behavior was connected to the screams, but, even if it wasn't, her preoccupation with Po erased her own fears from her mind. She kept a close eye on Po as they made their way to the Valley. On Po strode, shrouded in darkness, until he left the city as the sun began to rise over the vast mountains, Tigress hot on his trail.

'_If we were at the Jade Palace,' _thought Tigress while natural light made her task of following Po a lot easier. '_we would be hearing the morning gong right now.'_

At the Jade Palace the gong rang and the chorus of 'Good morning, Master' lacked two voices. Shifu waited several seconds before calling Tigress and Po's name once each. Tossing open their doors he discovered that they were gone. Inside Tigress's room was a note she had left, curled, on her bed.

_The Dragon Warrior had to go on a journey and I went with him._

Those few words brought much consternation. The rest of the Furious Five wondered where were they going and why they weren't warned with something more than a simple piece of paper. But Shifu, though curious about the matter as well, decided to trust the Dragon Warrior and asked his students to do the same, so they started their daily training routine, Po and Tigress were already outside the city.

The sun was turning the dark into a beautiful day, but all seven of them were too busy in their own minds to notice it.

A couple of hours later Po stopped below the shade of a tree. He had been gradually slowing his pace for some time, and Tigress assumed he was tired.

Her guess was proven right when ten minutes later found Po sleeping on the ground, the soft, comforting grass his mattress. Tigress was a bit tired herself, deprived of her sleep last night, but she didn't want to rest. She stayed awake watching Po and paying attention to everything around them.

Soon the panda was snoring. It wasn't loud or unpleasant; in fact, to Tigress, it was cute, like a child's snore. She got closer to Po, still skulking in the bushes, ready to hide if he woke. So innocent, she thought as she scanned his face. _It's that innocence that makes me want to fight for a better world just because he's in it. _The Dragon Warrior was also a symbol, after all. It could mean different things for different people, and to Tigress, after living under the same roof as him, it meant… everything she deemed worth saving. It was like he represented everything the Furious Five existed for, while fighting beside them. Sacred. Po was sacred to her, somehow like kung-fu itself, but also as something more...

"As long as you're here, you can make a fire so I can cook something. I'm starving, you know," Po suggested without so much as opening his eyes.

Tigress stood up, forgetting about silence, and turned to speak to him, "Forgive me, Master, I…"

"Oh no, don't start with that! I told you to go to your room! You wanna give me this Master-respect stuff now, after following me here?" Po got up and stared at Tigress. His tone was angry, but his eyes bore a deep, inescapable melancholy. Tigress felt like he was a child who wanted to hit her, but lacked the strength to do so.

"I had no choice, I was worried about you," she defended, though her heart ached at seeing her friend so distressed.

"Yeah, well…you should be. I don't ..." Po relaxed and sat on the ground, erasing from his face any trace of rage. Now there was just sadness – a sorrow so deep Tigress felt consumed by it. She had to force herself to look into Po's eyes.

"Po, what's happening? What can you tell me about it?" asked Tigress, putting formalities aside for the sake of the panda as she watched Po struggle against tears.

"That's just it, Tigress, I don't know. I really don't. Not all of it, at least," tears rolled down his face in pre-plastered grooves as he spoke. He didn't even seem to notice it. Tigress didn't know what to say so she replied like she always did: with honesty.

"I can't stand to see you like this, Po. Please. You bring so much happiness to the Palace because of whom and how you are that I just cannot leave you alone when you are like this. I knew you were crying in the kitchen and I know something is wrong now. I'm sorry to have disobeyed you, but I can help if you'll just let me. At least I'll make sure you're not alone," Tigress finished as Po looked at her and gradually stopped crying.

He smiled, weakly, and replied, "Too many words, Master Tigress. You're not like this."

"I guess I can be, when I'm worried this much," Tigress quickly answered.

Po looked away from her and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he stood up and faced Tigress. The sadness was still there, but he was more like the Po Tigress was used to.

"All right, then," he began. "You come with me. You made your choice, I guess. So we are going."

"Can you tell me where to?" Tigress asked as respectfully as she could, though she was guessing already what the answer might be.

She discovered she was right when Po replied, "Like I said before, I don't know yet. Now… how about that fire? I'm _still _hungry."


	2. Chapter 2

**Part II**

After a quick breakfast they started walking again. Despite Po's complaints, Tigress noticed that he ate very little, especially compared with what the normally jovial panda regularly inhaled. Tigress didn't talk about it, though – she feared somehow that speaking to Po would only make him cry again. She just kept a careful watch on her travel mate as they went along to somewhere unknown. At least Tigress didn't know where they were going. Po said he didn't also, but he never stopped walking as though he had the destination set in his mind, Tigress close behind him.

Meanwhile Po was doing everything he could to ignore the pain. He almost understood why it was there, where it came from, like he was listening to voices trying to tell him something, a million strained voices all screaming the same thing in a billion languages, from ancient, dead languages not heard for many thousands of years to dialects that would not arise for hundreds more years, but there was another voice, one louder and clearer who spoke, '_Not yet. Don't give in. Keep going.'_ And he obeyed that voice.

Po ignored lunch, as did Tigress. They rested a bit in the afternoon, and then started walking again until close to midnight.

"We'll rest here tonight. You sleep. If I need you, I call you," Po commanded as he stopped the hike.

"Wake me up on the second turn, Po, you need to get some sleep as well," offered Tigress, intentions pure, though the outcome was not what she had expected.

"NO!" Po screeched, fear and fury altering his features so much that Tigress could feel his gaze without being able to fully see his face in the dark of the night, deep green orbs boring into her soul like the icy fingers of terror that seemed to constrict her throat.

"Tigress, listen, please," Po continued after a moment of tense silence, his voice changing to a patient tone and Tigress could not tell if he was crying again or not. "If you're coming with me, you'll have to trust me. I don't need sleep. I can't dream. At least for now. If I need you, I call you. That's the end of it, Tigress. Please," He finished, noticing that his companion was already drawing breath to protest.

Tigress finally acquiesced and prepared to sleep. Though she heard no screams, she had an unusually troubled slumber, but all the images were gone by the morning as the sun touched her face and she opened her eyes to see Po sitting beside her in exactly the same spot he was when she went to sleep.

"You're awake? Good," Po turned to face her and Tigress wanted to say something, anything, but couldn't find any words. The panda's eyes were changed – the former green sparkle was barely recognizable below a shade of deep red that covered almost all of his eyeballs. It looked like he spent all night crying while she was sleeping. Still he got up, ignoring her expression of shock, and encouraged her to do the same.

"C'mon, we are close now, Tigress. We'll be there today before nightfall," Po coaxed, hefting his knapsack onto his shoulder.

"Where, exactly?" Tigress asked before she could contain herself. She looked to the east where the sun was rising. "It seems we left the Valley and now we are making a large curve, but where to?"

"I think I know now," Po spoke, more to himself than her, as he looked north. "The Pool of Sacred Tears."

"This is not the way to the Pool, I've been there before," Tigress replied, a bit confused.

"Not the way we usually take, no. But it's the way someone took a long time ago. And the way we must take now." Po replied. Tigress was more than a bit confused.

"Are you… what exactly are you talking about, Po?" she queried, completely lost.

"I asked something from you last night, right?" Po replied, now looking directly to Tigress, his eyes getting redder and swelling with tears again.

An invisible hand squeezed her heart as she apologized, "I'm sorry, Po, I didn't mean to…"

"No, it's not that… look, Tigress, I need you to trust me. Really. It doesn't matter how odd or scary or weird things get, as long as you're here you might be able to help me. But I need you to trust me. Can you do that? No more disobeying, no matter how good you are at it," Tigress noticed that Po was trying to smile, though she didn't actually see a smile on his face.

"Yes, Master," Tigress agreed, after a moment of hesitation. She knew she couldn't back out now. She was in his hands and vice-versa, so to speak.

"Good, Tigress. Thank you very much. And it was Oogway," Po said offhand.

"What?" Tigress questioned, confusion returning to her face.

"You asked me what I was talking about. Well, before the shortcut with the bridges through the mountains was constructed, Oogway used this path to reach the Pool. That was before the Pool was named," explained Po as his gaze drifted about the forest.

Po was right. It wouldn't take much to reach the Pool, though why he hadn't taken the shortcut was beyond Tigress… it was tiring, but way faster than this route. Could it be solely because Master Oogway used it before? Why? Po's expression had eased when he spoke the name of the now departed tortoise Master, she noticed that.

Po started walking again without any further words. Tigress followed him also silent for a while. Finally, she hesitantly broke the silence, "Po, maybe you could… if you want… tell me more about what's going on."

Po didn't reply, didn't even look at her, and just kept walking.

"I know you asked me to trust you meaning I shouldn't ask any questions…" she continued.

"Yeah, like, twice," Po said, matter-of-factly.

"But you were also the one who begged us to treat you like a friend and stop calling you Master when we are alone at the Palace," Tigress continued, undeterred by his rude comment.

"Yup, and you were the only one who didn't do it," Po tried replying in what he thought was a cheerful tone to indicate he wasn't really upset, but his voice sounded distant and sad somehow.

"Yes, because back then I couldn't," explained Tigress, her voice nearly cracking in exasperation.

"And why can you now?" Po turned to ask the question while staring at Tigress. His eyes were red and she noticed a dry path of tears across his cheeks.

"Because…" That was a good question. Tigress knew she had an answer, but she had to put her mind at ease in order to give one to the panda whose actions were scaring her so much "Because I never believed you could do what you did, become the Dragon Warrior and defeat Tai Lung. And when you did that I knew what to expect from you as a Master: authority. But instead you wanted friendship, and that took longer for me, I think. But I'm asking you to talk to me because I'm worried about a friend, not a Master, and I think I could help you as a friend. If you're not going to answer my questions then you should at least know this much." There was nothing hesitant about her tone; it was firm and strong, yet still filled with the respect and pride that shone in every word she spoke.

To Tigress, Po seemed to regain his emerald eyes again while listening to her, but only for a moment. Maybe it was just her imagination. She wondered if it would help to say more, to say that, after all this time, he brought happiness not only to the Palace but to herself in a way she never had, that he could make her smile or even laugh like no one did, that he was the kindest, bravest soul she'd ever met. But Po spoke first, after gazing at her for what felt like hours with Tigress staring unblinkingly at him in turn.

"I've been having some dreams lately, and I'm kinda being guided by them. But I really don't want to talk about them, okay, Tigress, please? I think they are only meant for me," Po murmured sleepily.

"Lately as in a week ago?" Tigress asked immediately after his response, her eyes widening a bit.

"Yes, how'd you know?" Po's eyes also widened and he took a step back, like he was afraid of something.

"I didn't it's just… about a week ago I started to wake up in the middle of the night because of screams only I could hear," Tigress admitted her inner kitten fidgeting nervously.

"What?" Po's expression changed to surprise and concern.

"I heard someone screaming, like someone was really in pain. It was so loud that I was surprised to discover I was the only one hearing it. None of the others at the Palace woke up. And it… happened more than once," Tigress stopped looking at Po, but that was because she was trying to make sense of all of it and her mind was going back and forth, faster than she could accompany it.

"It was me," Po breathed, patting his own chest. "Tigress, you… you heard me. You heard my soul asking for help! That's why you're here!" And for a moment, though he wasn't smiling, the panda looked genuinely happy.

"Po I…" Tigress tried to find something to say, but before she did Po waved his hands in front of her, signaling for her to be quiet.

"No, Tigress. Let me speak. I'm sorry, okay? You are here for a reason and I should've known it from the start. I should've realized it. I'm sorry I gave you a hard time about disobeying me. I asked for your help and you came. Thank you." He held Tigress's paws firmly and looked deep into her eyes before saying 'Thank you' again.

He then turned his back on her and started walking like nothing had happened, and didn't say another word about the matter. Tigress followed him also silent, not because she didn't have anything to say but because she just couldn't put it all into words. She knew he was right about everything that was said.

Too quickly the morning has passed and the voices were overwhelming him. And he knew exactly where they were coming from.

He could feel the voice of Tigress, filled with fear and doubts. It was close, so it was easy to hear. Miles away he could hear a baby crying of hunger. A lover's heart breaking, because it was abandoned. A body filled with open scars and broken bones – it was thrown over the edge of a precipice by its owner in an act of pure despair – drawing its last breath before dying. They were far, but it wasn't that much difficult. Pain: he was a magnet for it.

He could identify where the voices of pain were coming from, one by one, or he could let it all flow through him in one giant rush, erasing his senses, making him feel like he was going to die. At least he asked for it. But death did not come, only pain.

But still there was another voice there.

'_Be strong. Trust yourself. Trust the world around you. Go on.'_ And he obeyed. It wasn't easy but he did.

Near the sunset they were approaching the Pool of Sacred Tears. Po stopped when he noticed a butterfly flying in front of him, delicate wings beating lazily in the breeze.

"The butterfly!" He cried, pointing at it so Tigress could see.

"Yes, Po. It's… it's lovely," she answered, not understanding what had Po so excited, but not wanting to ruin his sudden good vibes. And, if she was honest with herself, it was a beautiful butterfly; it had an orange hue with yellow stripes and dots on it, and when the sun touched the rhythm of its wings it gleamed, like a little beating heart made of gold.

"There was a butterfly like this when Master Oogway came here for the first time!" Po shouted, his voice becoming louder with confidence.

"What? Po how can you know…" Tigress began but stopped. _I must trust him_, she thought. And though it was a very strange thing, she decided not to argue with the panda, trusting that he was right about it.

After the butterfly continued on its journey Po started to walk again just to stop a few minutes later.

"What now, Master?" asked Tigress.

"It's not there anymore. Look," Po pointed. And he was right. The Pool was dry. The familiar rocky formations were all there, but the lake was not. Where it once stood, there was an empty dry hole on the ground.

"Po, what's happening? How can this be?" Tigress asked without taking her eyes out of the image in front of her.

"It's dry. It's totally dry. Maybe because…" Po started, but didn't finish the last sentence because he dropped on his knees and screamed.

The voices were there. All of them shouting unutterable words of hatred and agony. The pain was unbearable-

_Po?_

-he felt the orphans crying for their parents and the ones who lost their children. He felt the ones who lost their lovers, the ones who lost their own blood, the ones who numbed reality by addiction to a substance; he tasted opium and ashes in his mouth. He felt the children of war. He felt his head bleeding, his skull cracked-

_Po, get up. Master, get up!_

-there it was. Everywhere. Unfulfilled desires. The destruction of body, mind, soul. Everyone had a story to tell, and all stories ended in tragedy. And all would die in the end, after a lifetime of misery and suffering.

_PO!_

He felt a warmness spreading through his face and opened his eyes to realize that Tigress had just slapped him and was shaking his body as hard as she could. Her voice was reaching him, telling him she was there, asking him if there was anything she could do.

But there was another voice. It said _Go! Now! _And Po obeyed once more. It was like crawling through broken glass and razor blades while having his body on fire. Nothing could ever hurt like that, nothing should. Tigress noticed his intention – get to the place where the Pool once was – and helped him there as best as she could.

When they got there, both exhausted, Po began to cry. And this time Tigress worried more than before, for they were tears of blood that streaked his face and hit the greedily thirsty ground.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part III**

Tigress was humming softly the melody to herself for a while because she didn't know what else to do. A night and half a day were gone and Po was still crying. She tried to get him out of there but he told her to stay put and wait – and she obeyed again even though every inch of her body and mind screamed against it. At least it wasn't blood anymore, he was crying normal tears now, but it was still a horrific sight – the panda in all fours weeping, moaning and occasionally screaming, tears flowing without any sign of stopping. She tried to remember the words in the song so she could sing it to Po, to soothe him.

"In my heart, in my heart

There lives a light

That helps me walk

The path through life

By shining bright

Inside, inside

Inside my heart"

It was the only song she could sing; it was the only song she remembered. Master Oogway would sing it some times, beneath the peach tree, while meditating. She was certain that there were more words, but she couldn't bring them to her mind. Holding back her own tears thinking that at least one of them should keep a straight head, she hummed again hoping that Po was listening and that it would help him somehow. But he couldn't hear Tigress. He was listening to something else.

_Why?_

Was it his voice? He thought so. Yes, he was sure it was. He could still feel the pain and the question hang in front of him.

_Why? Why so much pain? Why so many wrong things?_

Wasn't it childish? To presume he could have the answer to these questions? But he didn't know where he was, and that was all he could think about, because the pain was all he could feel.

_Open your eyes, young Dragon Warrior._

That wasn't him. Po opened his eyes to see Master Oogway standing right in front of him. They were in some kind of garden – a place Po never saw before, yet felt familiar at the same time. The sun was shining and a cool breeze brought to Po's face the smell of all flowers in the world.

"What's upsetting you this time, Master Dragon Warrior?" Oogway asked, using that soft, gentle tone Po knew so much.

"It's… it's everything, Master! Lately I've been having this dreams, terrible dreams. I see all my friends dead because of themselves! I see the bad things inside them rot them and kill them or they kill each other. I sense the pain of everybody! I see agony everywhere!" Po wept, hands trembling before his face.

"I understand. Are you in the world to right all the wrongs, Master Dragon Warrior? Because if that's the case, you will need a bigger scroll," joked the old master, trademark smile never so much as faltering.

"I just… I just wanna know why! Why all this? Why do bad things happen?" Po nearly screamed, the frustration, fear, pain, and hatred of all those he had seen pouted out into those small words.

"Why do good things happen?" Asked Oogway, chuckling.

"That's no answer, Master, I want to know…" Po trailed off as Oogway laughed slightly harder, a soft, warming sound that resonated within his core, showing the light in the darkest cave of fear, the sound of the butterfly's wings beating within those chiming notes.

"That's _precisely _the answer," replied Oogway and reached with his paws to caress the panda's chest and belly with his long nails.

"Master, what are you…" Po's inquiry was cut off by Master Oogway's voice.

"Showing you the answer my boy. It was with you all the time; look. Black and white. Darkness and light. One cannot exist without the other. One gives meaning to the other. One shows the direction to the other. Both of them serve as teachers," Oogway removed his claws and Po touched his own body, beholding his own fur. Then it occurred to him and he faced Oogway.

"I knew about the butterfly!" He exclaimed.

"Yes. A sign of change. It was one of the very first things I saw before weeping where the Sacred Pool now stands. See, I saw the strings that connect everything, and I cried for the beauty of it. Those who see the strings connecting only the good things cry of joy but are trapped in illusions that soon shatter. And those who see only the bad things – like you're doing right now – cry of pain and most end their lives out of desperation." he explained with a sage-like expression.

"Master, why was I… what is… why is this happening to me?" Po asked, wishing to go back to how things were, even if it meant being a simple noodle salesman.

"Because one way or another only the Dragon Warrior can weep a new Pool. I'm sorry Po, if you chose to be this way," Oogway sighed softly.

"I didn't…" Po began, but was cut off again.

"Yes you did. As you said, you see agony everywhere, but is agony all there is? Then you're choosing what to see. Darkness and light; a Warrior must know and find the balance between these two, not pay attention to only one of them. You risk loosing your soul. And that would be a terrible loss to the world," Oogway smiled, his old features wrinkling even more and Po joined him. A natural smile, a real one.

"That's very good" Oogway assured him

"Thank you, Master. For everything. Now can you tell me how to get back…"

The vision vanished. Po saw nothing but darkness and felt pain again, but only the pain of his own body complaining of hunger. Judging by the sting in his stomach and his breath, he had vomited. He realized he was laid down and moved his arms before opening his eyes. He tried to get up, but a pair of soft paws held him. It was Tigress.

"You're not going anywhere, Po. Not now. The sun is almost up, we'll get you something to eat, you'll rest a bit more and then we'll take the shorter way back. Slowly," she emphasized the last word with as much emotion as she would permit herself to show.

"The sun is… was I out the whole night?" Po asked, still dazzled.

"No. A day and a half," answered Tigress.

"_What_?" hissed Po, astonished at how short of a time it had felt like. He'd be damned if he ever became used to spirit time.

"You cried another Pool," she explained.

Po rolled to his side. He was near the edge of the Pool of Sacred Tears, now filled.

"It began with blood," Tigress whispered hollowly, like the very mention of it brought her to some horrid place she dare not set foot in, while Po gazed at the scene before him. "You started to cry blood and I didn't know what to do because I thought you were injured, but you told me to stay. That I had nothing to worry about. And then the blood stopped and you started crying normal tears and filled the Pool with them. You also vomited a bit. And screamed. A lot." She tried to sound like she was telling him something as trivial as how the weather was, trying not to show in her voice what she was feeling while Po was crying, and how worried she was still. She thought that was not necessary, at least not at that moment.

Po laid his body on the floor and relaxed, feeling good for the first time, since he couldn't remember when, murmuring, "Thank you, Tigress. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for coming when I needed you. And I'm sorry I made you worry about me so much."

"Are you all right, Po?" Tigress questioned, concern glimmering in her proud eyes.

"Yes… Yes, I mean, I came and I did what I had to do. Learned my lesson. Time to go back home, as you said," Po replied, his tone drained but joyous. _This is Po._ Thought Tigress happily as she allowed herself a small smile.

"Good. Because once we get there you're resting for a little while more. And after that you'll have to compensate for almost scaring me to death during training sessions," Tigress tried her best serious tone of voice, but the shadow of a smile on her lips betrayed her happiness and relief that Po was fine.

"Does this mean I have a fan club?" Po asked, chuckling, a true smile shining through his face. He expected a smart retort, but Tigress bent down and hugged him instead. He was appalled to say the least, but hugged her back.

"It's all right, Tigress. I'm here." He assured, holding her close. Somehow he knew she always wanted to show him how much she cared, but she could only do it like this when they were away from others. And he wasn't feeling any pain. In fact, he was feeling the complete opposite of it.

"Never scare me like that again," she sobbed, allowing herself freedom for the first time in too long. While Po noticed it, he said nothing, glad she felt comfortable enough around him to let him see her tears.

"I'll do my best. Now… what about that food before getting back you were talking about…?" He smirked.

"Of course, Po" She let go of the embrace and stared at him, intensely in the eyes.

"Huh… is anything wrong, Tigress?" Asked Po, finding it hard to maintain eye contact.

"No Po. Nothing's wrong now, I guess" She said, getting up and walking to where the ashes of the fire she previously built were.

_Sacred!_ She thought as she tossed together a meal, grinning like a Cheshire cat the entire time. _Nothing less than sacred._

**THE END**

_Author's Note: Another fic of mine th__at ends with a hug-touchy scene. Maybe Po is just good at making friends, maybe I just love this kind of thing… oh, well…it's over, anyway. _

_Special thanks, now and forever, to PointyEdgesofaSign, my beta and friend, who not only improved the story a gazllion times ,she also gave me a bonus feature; a soundtrack for this story, each song matching a particular scene! It was such a surprise and a beautiful gestur__e and I loved it so much I have to share it with you, dear reader:_

**Soundtrack:**

**1) Knights of Cydonia by Muse **– When Po and Tigress get to the Sacred Pool of Tears and Po struggles to reach it

**2) Right in Front of You by Celine Dion **– When Po wakes up and goes back to being the loveable dork Tigress had gotten so used to

**3) Because of You by Kelly Clarkson **– In the beginning when Tigress is hearing screams and is afraid she is going insane

**4) A La Nanita by The Cheetah Girls **– When Tigress is singing to Po

**5) Viva la Vida (When I Ruled the World) by Coldplay **– When Po was overtaken by the voices at the Sacred Pool of Tears

**6) Hello by Evanescence **– When Po is considering what he has become as he and Tigress continue their journey

**7) Starry Eyed Surprise by Paul Oakenfield **– When Po meets Oogway

**8) Angels by Within Temptation** – Po's problem

_What can I say besides 'she's the awesomest!'? I like everything but my personal favorite is her fifth choice. Love you to the bones, PointyEdgesofaSign!_

_To FalconMage: you also helped me a lot in writing this story. You told me about things I needed to know in order to put it all together. Thank you very much and I hope you enjoyed it._

_Thanks all__ reviewers and thank you for reading it. Peace!_


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